Second verse - same as the first .......

I was going to apologize to Peter Noone for borrowing his lyrics but then realized he hadn't actually written that song, so I won't :-)

But it is the same pattern and one of the same fabrics as the last bag I made. I wanted to find something to go with the center fabric, loved the dark brown with it and really, really liked the other fabric as well. Doesn't mean I'm done yet - I found yet another fabric that goes well with the center and outside one and I will try that one, too. But I really, really love this bag. It's mine! I think I'll testwear it later today.

I'm also uploading a new Jerry picture. He follows me wherever I go and always, always comes along when I take pictures outside. Got lucky with this one taken a couple of days ago. Today's didn't work out because he turned his head away. And who wants to see pictures of Jerry's backside? :-)

Those will be the last pictures I will be able to take outdoors for a while. We're expecting our first real rainstorm of the season tonight and it's expected to last off and on through Tuesday. Most of the rain should fall on Saturday. Not a big deal for me. I will be learning to etch on copper in Berkeley.

And another one ..............

Here's my latest bag - again from a Japanese magazine. All the fabrics are Kaffe Fassett and it's quite a big bag, wide at the bottom. A good size, though. I plan on making the same bag in slightly different fabrics again because I finally figured out what to pair with a rather odd fabric - it's browns and fuchsia and the outside fabric I used here will work well with it.

Bags finally mailed

The giveaway bags have finally gone out to the winners - all but two. I never heard from 2 of the winners and without addresses I can't mail the bags. So, unless I hear from them soon, those 2 bags will go back into the stash to be used in some other way.

Bags, bags and more bags

I seem to be spending a lot of time at the sewing machine - when I'm not standing over a kitchen counter measuring and drafting patterns and cutting out fabric. Yes, I decided to try my hand at making my own pattern. Haven't found the exact right and perfect one yet but I think I'm headed in the right direction.

The first bag is out of a Japanese magazine. It's cute and that's the problem. I don't do cute. It's also too small for my taste.

The next bag is my own pattern, the very first one. It is nice but a little boring, I think. Not the choice of fabric but the proportions. I like the width on the bottom but it needs to be narrower at the top (I'm working on it).

The last one is too narrow, I think. The top part is good, but the rest needs to be wider.

And that's what happens when I try to design. I don't know how other people do that, how many "wrong" versions they go through before they arrive at the perfect design/pattern, but in my case it's taking a little while.

A second unexpected gift

Today's mail brought another wonderful surprise: a necklace from my friend Marilee - Marilee J. Layman. The scan doesn't do it justice (but I scan better than I photograph close-ups), the colors are much richer in real life.

The necklace is absolutely perfect: the color suits me so well, the length is exactly right and the design is wonderful. I love the cab, it took me a while to realize that it is made from polymer clay. There is such a depth to it and the shine is amazing. Thank you very, very much, Marilee.

I don't know what I have done to deserve two such wonderful gifts in such a short time but I am certainly enjoying them.

I've been tagged

AJ - ErtheFae's Meandering Thoughts - very kindly tagged me.

I have to reveal 7 facts about myself and then tag 7 other people (that may be a bit of a problem).

Here are the "official" rules:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are the 7 facts about myself:

1. I like liquorice - to me, it's a basic food group.
2. My little dog is named after Jerry Garcia.
3. I have always "lusted" after an old pick up truck, preferrably in shiny red. Probably will never happen and I probably like the idea of it more than the reality.
4. Not only do I have too many beads (yes, there is such a thing) but I have too much fabric. At least, we'll never be cold.
5. Two of my favorite colors are and have always been blue and yellow. I remember telling the principal who "interviewed" me before I started school that.
6. I can bake bread, I just don't these days. And I don't mean with a bread machine, but really from scratch.
7. My favorite get away spot is the ocean, somewhere at a non-crowded beach. Just walking, counting the waves and collecting beach glass.

Here are the 7 people I am tagging:

1. Grace from GraceBeading
2. Katie from Coconutbead
3. Beki from Beki's
4. Katie Liz from KatieLiz Knits
5. Pat from Pat Winter Gatherings
6. Arline from SharedstuffbyArline
7. Kate from Kniterations

And the winners are ...................

Without further ado, here are the winners of the five bags:

No. 1 - abeadlady - you won bag No. 3, the polka dots

No. 2 - Katie Liz - you won bag No. 1, the yellow flowers

No. 3 - Pat Winter - you won bag No. 2, the blue circles

No. 4 - just jennifer - you won bag No, 4, the women

No. 5 - Rhonda P - you won bag No. 5, the red one.

Would the winners please contact me at summerfield89 at gmail dot com with their snail mail addresses so I can mail the bags to you.

And please know that the bags will be smooshed when they arrive. You'll have to manipulate them, punch them a bit to get them to look nice and straight.

Congratulations to all!

An unexpected gift

Today's mail brought a package, completely unexpected. I recognized the name but didn't expect what was inside - the most exquisite beaded doll I have ever seen made for me by a friend who is an amazine bead artist.
I haven't taken pictures yet but, luckily, Grace did.
Of course, there were tears at first at the unexpected kindness. I have been so blessed over the last year and a half, so many new people have come into my life, all good people, kind people, most of whom I probably would never have met or gotten close to if it hadn't been for Henry's death. I am so grateful to them all, grateful for the emails, the letters, cards, the visits, the flowers, the prayers, the opportunity to just talk and talk until I was all talked out, the advice, the unexpected gifts. I know I can ever repay them but I hope they all know how much they mean to me and how much I appreciate all they have done for me.
Grace, thank you! Your doll is beautiful, I love the colors, the design, the little ruffle on the back and especially the hair! It reminds me a bit of dreadlocks and makes me wish I hadn't just gotten a haircut :-)

Dr. Phil, Wednesday, about the bridge

Tomorrow, on Wednesday (and I'm having the hardest time typing that word), John Brooks, Casey's father (she took her life on that bridge in January of this year) will be on Dr. Phil along with Eric Steele, film maker ("The Bridge") and Thomas Joiner, psychologist and author. Obviously, it's going to be about that bridge.
I just finished a book by Thomas Joiner and I'm interested in what he has to say. I didn't agree with everything he wrote and I have mixed feelings about what he'll say tomorrow.
Yes, I know the board approved the net as a suicide barrier but until construction actually starts, I'm sort of holding my breath. Well, not really, more mentally than physically.

The giveaway - finally

After talking about this twice already, I thought it was time I got on with it. So, I finally picked out what I was actually going to give away and took pictures. Five bags, five winners.

So, anybody who leaves me a comment between now and midnight on Friday will be entered into the drawing. I will write the names onto little pieces of paper, throw them all into a bowl and have my husband draw the names sometime this coming weekend (don't know yet what our plans for the weekend are so I can't commit to Saturday or Sunday).

I haven't quite figured out yet how I'm going decide who gets which bag. I'm thinking the first name drawn gets first choice etc. but that might be a slow process and I'm open to suggestions.

So, leave me a comment to this post and we'll go from there.

Occupational therapy

After the good news on Friday, I was feeling strangely deflated. I hadn't expected the vote just yet. It wasn't scheduled until 2 weeks from Friday. But I can understand why it was moved up. One of the reasons could well be the media circus that would have been on the 24th. Of course, it's not done yet, the money has to be found somehow and that could be a stumbling block. I guess that's where we - the BRF - come in. So, I still have a "job." :-)

Anyway, I set up the sewing machine and dug out a half-finished bag and worked on it this morning. I am very pleased with the result. My first time trying darts and pleats for shaping and I really like it. This is a pattern I bought on etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=67285 - it's not up right now, apparently, she sold out).

I'm used to bigger bags - most of my others are (quite a bit) bigger, so I'm going to play with it a big next - slightly longer and maybe a bit wider. But I really like the way this bag "wears."

Watch for the previously mentioned "giveaway" later this week. I have to decide exactly on what to give away :-) Drawing will be on the 17th - the 9 month anniversary of this blog.

More about the barrier

Yes, I know I already posted today and about the same subject, but ................

Here are links to 2 articles:

Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Net Approved - News Story - KTVU San Francisco

cbs5.com - Golden Gate Bridge Officials Approve Suicide Net

Both are from local TV stations. They obviously were present at the meeting. I was supposed to go and make a presentation but got sick :-( So, Larry went instead of me, addressed the board briefly and handed out the papers I had prepared. He was very optimistic when he came back - the majority of board members spoke out in favor of a barrier, but all seemed to favor the net. That isn't the option most of us favor - and with us I mean BRF people and law enforcement. There's maintenance cost involved, and there are other issues that haven't completely been resolved. Still, this is better than nothing. There have been far too many deaths already. And nets have been in use in Switzerland and they work there.

One thing that surprises me is the mention of Mayor Newsom. Typical politician - just a few weeks ago he was against any kind of barrier and now he says, ""I look forward to working with the district and the mental health community to help implement these life saving measures."

Victory

This just came from the Bridge Rail Foundation:

VICTORY—GGB votes to stop suicidesOctober 10, 2008

The directors of the Golden Gate Bridge district today voted 16-1 for a barrier to prevent suicides from the bridge. The vote came after bridge staff summarized the results of last summer's public review of the draft EIR and testimony from many supporters of suicide prevention on the bridge.

Today's vote comes 71 years and two months after the first suicide from the Golden Gate. It is also five years since Tad Friend published a long essay on the problem in the New Yorker magazine. That article inspired the production of Eric Steel's "The Bridge"—a film documenting a full year of GGB suicides. It also: stimulated local psychiatrists and suicide prevention groups to tackle the issue and moved the local press to examine the problem in great depth.

The GGB hearing room was packed with people supporting construction of a barrier, including retired UCSF psychiatrist Jerry Motto MD, who first pushed the district to act in the '60's.

The district action selects the net alternative as the Locally Preferred Option. Next up is completion of the EIR and development of a funding plan. These actions are likely in April of 2009. We will have more information as the issue progresses.

A walk on the wild side?

I seem to have a previously well hidden wild side - well, sort of. It only extends to my choice of fabric. But I surprised myself when I chose fabrics for a bag I just finished. Not at all my usual safe navy and other shades of blue.

Of course, I started out with safe choices first. That bag was made from a tutorial I found on the web.

The second one is the "Dolcetta" bag by "Melly & Me." Fabrics are all Kaffe Fassetts.

A very nice etsy seller

In early September, I ordered 2 pendants from an etsy seller. After almost 3 weeks had passed and I hadn't received them yet, I contacted her and was given a tracking number. According to the Post Office, my pendants had been processed on September 18 in Oakland and that's what it said day after day.
Last Friday, I called the Post Office for the second time and got the run around. By then, "processed" had been updated to "processed and left Oakland on September 18."
So, I wrote to the etsy seller and explained. She wrote back immediately and said she'd send replacements. I am still gobsmacked that she offered to do this without a second thought.
I will definitely check her offerings again because I am all in favor of supporting nice people.

Here's a link to her etsy shop:

Etsy :: AnnieHowes :: Etsy Customers Make Me Smile :o)

Friday morning rant

No, this will not be a regular feature.

1. Stop signs really are for everybody, not just the people who feel like stopping.

2. If you try on shoes in a store, put them back into the correct box. It's no fun having to go through every box trying to find a size 7. The same goes for clothes - put 'em back on the correct hanger.
And stop buying all the 7's before I have a chance to try them on.
Hint to store: buy more of the sizes that sell out first. Bigger profits, you know?

3. Even you, who are totally pc and environmentally concious, drive a Mercedes or other luxury car, drip with diamonds while wearing yoga pants and other fancy exercise gear, should really put the shopping cart into the cart corral and not leave it in the middle of the parking lot. The world doesn't owe you and we don't exist to serve you. And, besides, those extra steps count as exercise.

4. That law about not using cell phones while driving applies to everybody. Really. Those hands free devices do work and, besides, are you really that important that you have to be wired for sound 24/7?

5. If you're passive-aggressive, don't take it out on me. It's not funny following you down the road way below speed limit only to see you speed up at the light so that you can go through while I'm stuck through another cycle. Get therapy, pound sand, talk back to your spouse or whoever ticked you off.

6. Note to Post Office. If you promise to call me back about a lost/missing package, do so. Don't update your website from "processed in Oakland on 18 September" to "processed and left Oakland on 18 September." Oakland is an hour down the road. It should have gotten here by now. Bad Post Office!

7. Note to little dog: when your girlfriend comes over, don't wet your pants (or pee on the floor). Girls are not impressed by guys who can't hold their liquor or have bladder control problems.

The pictures are up!

There was a professional photographer at the walk on Saturday and she posted the pictures she took today:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifechangesphotography/

Our team is on pages 4 (last 3 pictures) and 5 (first 2). I'm the one in the blue Tshirt in the front row, my husband is on my left. My facebook friend and her family are to my right - that's her mom right next to me. And in the front is Casey's dad with Igor, a very well-behaved dog.

Added 2 days later: the pictures of our team are now on page 15.